Assertion (A): Aurangzeb succeeded Shah Jahan to the Mughal throne. Reason (R): The law of primogeniture was followed.
A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not a correct explanation of (A).
C. (A) is true, but (R) is false.
D. (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer: (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Option c is the correct answer
Assertion (A) is true: Aurangzeb was the third son of Shah Jahan, but he was the most powerful and ambitious of his siblings. He led a successful military campaign against his brothers after Shah Jahan fell ill in 1657, and he was proclaimed emperor in 1658. Reason (R) is false: The law of primogeniture is the rule that the eldest son inherits the throne. The Mughal Empire lacked a strict law of primogeniture. The emperor could choose any son as successor, as seen when Aurangzeb bypassed eldest Dara Shikoh's nomination, leading to struggles. Succession blended factors like nobility support, military might, politics, and even violence. Emperor's choice and heirs' abilities mattered. Aurangzeb's bitter struggle with favored brother Dara showed succession wasn't solely primogeniture-based.